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A trio of Yukon judokas will be hitting the mats against some elite level competition this weekend.

Cassi Jensen, Daniel Tonner and Shayne Melanson will all be travelling with Judo Yukon high performance coach Bianca Ockedahl for competitions in Montreal and Toronto and a training camp with Team Quebec.

鈥淚n the Yukon they鈥檙e always fighting the same kids,鈥� said Ockedahl, noting they try to get the youth Outside for competitions in Alberta, B.C. and Alaska. 鈥淭his is a little higher level this time.鈥�

Ockedahl, a former member of the Canadian national judo team and an NCCP III- certified coach, grew up in the well-laid judo system in Quebec.

鈥淨uebec is not just any tournament. There鈥檚 a lot of kids out there,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was a product of that. I know what they need to do.鈥�

All that鈥檚 missing now is for the athletes to learn what they need to do. And two high-level tournaments and a training camp at the national training centre in Montreal should do the trick.

Yukon judokas have travelled outside for training and competitions before, but for the U14 duo of Jensen and Tonner, this will be the farthest they鈥檝e ever travelled for their sport.

Jensen and Tonner have some idea of what to expect.

鈥淲e went to a camp in Vernon, (B.C.) and people have been telling me that it will be a lot like that camp so we expect that,鈥� said Jensen. 鈥淲e expect high-level training because we know they get a lot more practice than we do and they鈥檙e a lot more competitive.鈥�

鈥淵eah,鈥� Tonner jumps in. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e probably going to be stronger and a lot more skilled.鈥�

Jensen, 12, first stepped onto the mats when she was five. Her father, Aaron, is a sensei at Riverdale鈥檚 Shiroumakai Judo Club.

A blue belt, Jensen said she enjoys beating up the boys.

鈥淚 love judo,鈥� she said with a smile. 鈥淚鈥檝e met lots of friends doing judo. It鈥檚 fun to beat up people, the boys that get on my nerves.鈥�

Tonner, also 12, first began practising a few years ago, following a tip from a work friend of his father鈥檚 who was a sensei at a local club.

The duo takes on a leadership role during practices at Shiroumakai, in the gym鈥檚 space overlooking Vanier Secondary School鈥檚 gymnasium.

They lead exercises, helping younger judokas with their technique and encouraging them to put in effort during practice.

Without any girls of a similar weight and skill, Jensen finds herself squaring off against the boys.

鈥淚t鈥檚 challenging sometimes,鈥� said Jensen. 鈥淗e鈥檚 (Tonner) a lot faster than me and some of them are quite a bit stronger than me but it鈥檚 still fun and in the small tournaments it doesn鈥檛 really matter.鈥�

Near the end of October, Judo Yukon hosted its first inter-club tournament of the season out at Golden Horn鈥圗lementary School.

There, near the end of the day Jensen and Tonner faced-off.

鈥淒aniel has kind of been the super 麻豆社区in the Yukon for the last three years,鈥� said Ockedahl. 鈥淗e鈥檚 always been a lightweight and always been one of the best in his category and I think he kind of sticks to that.鈥�

In their high performance training with Ockedahl on weekends (she relocated to Carmarks this fall) she asked him to work on diversifying his techniques.

On Oct. 22 he delivered, sending Jensen flying into the mats with a self-sacrificing Tomoe nage, a technique in which the attacker gets a good grip on their opponent and falls on their back, getting their foot to connect on their opponent鈥檚 mid-section to get them to allez-oop and fall flat on their back on the mat.

鈥淗e鈥檚 starting to develop new techniques, like the one he did on Cassi in the tournament,鈥� said Ockedahl, 鈥渨hich was a surprise I think to everybody.鈥�

This year Jensen has taken a serious interest in improving her judo skills.

鈥淐assi is very determined especially this season.鈥圫he鈥檚 the one harassing me for things: 鈥榃hat do I need to do? Where鈥檚 my program?鈥欌�� said Ockedahl. 鈥淪he鈥檚 very ready to improve and do whatever it takes.鈥�

Melanson, who was unavailable for comment for this story, will be the veteran of the group.

He is no stranger to big competitions. At the 2015 nationals, he posted Yukon鈥檚 top result, a fifth place in the -73kg U16 category.

But Melanson took a year off fighting and hasn鈥檛 really had a proper match since. He is now competing in a heavier weight class and will be in the U18 branch of competition.

鈥淗e鈥檚 strong and he can do all the big lifting throws and stuff, so for his weight class it will help him,鈥� said Ockedahl.

But being off the competitions mats for so long may mean a stomach full of butterflies out east.

鈥淗e gets nervous. It鈥檚 the mental game,鈥� said Ockedahl. 鈥淗e is quite nervous going into this but I think once he鈥檚 out there he鈥檒l feel confident.鈥�

She hopes the athletes take away experience from the trip.

鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 not about win or lose. It鈥檚 not about results. For me, it鈥檚 about the experience,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want them to take in the experience, to understand it and to come back with a feeling of what their strengths are, what their weaknesses are and what we need to work on for the season.鈥�

For the U14s, the trip will also help them understand what the competition will be like at nationals in Calgary next year.

鈥淚鈥檓 just excited that they are willing to go out there and try something new like a tournament like this,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think the exposure will be good for them.鈥�

Jensen, Melanson and Tonner face their first competition in Montreal this weekend at the Quebec Open.

They鈥檒l participate in a training camp for a week in Quebec and suit up again for the Ontario Open in Toronto on Nov. 12 and 13.